Bhaskar Roy, Chief of AI Products and Solutions at Workato, breaks down the fundamental shift from app-centric thinking to agent-first architecture. This conversation cuts through the AI hype to reveal how enterprises are moving beyond simple content generation to deploy agents at the core of business processes—from quote-to-cash workflows to IT helpdesk operations. Roy reveals the critical gap between low-agency experimentation and high-value automation, outlines the governance frameworks required for autonomous agents, and explains why getting hands-on is the only way to separate signal from noise in the agentic era.Key Takeaways1. The Agency Gap: Most Companies Are Stuck in Low-Value TerritoryGartner research shows most companies remain in low-agency activities like content creation and email writing, while maximum ROI comes from agents executing core processes like order-to-cash and supply chain managementSaaS is deterministic and requires months for customization, while agents adapt and execute in real-timeThe transformation eliminates bottlenecks where process experts depend on developers for integrations2. Purpose-Specific Agents with Enterprise Skills Beat General-Purpose ApproachesAgents must be narrowly focused with defined skills—finance agents restricted to finance users, each agent limited to relevant capabilities onlyGovernance controls agent-to-agent collaboration, with supervisor agents coordinating and ensuring complianceAgent authentication ensures agents respect user permissions—only updating data the individual user can access3. App Events and Enterprise Acumen Enable Proactive IntelligenceAgents listen to events across systems—new hires, leads, tickets—then reason, contextualize, and take autonomous actionEnterprise acumen monitors KPIs continuously and proactively recommends actions as metrics fluctuateThe shift from reactive to proactive requires human-in-the-loop now, but full autonomy approaches rapidly4. The Mindset Shift: From App-Centric to Agent-First ThinkingStop thinking about which app to use—start asking which agent can handle core business processes betterWhen agents become core to business, reliability matters—platforms must provide innovation with enterprise-grade trustReading about AI isn't learning—build agents, test them, discover what's real versus hypeChapters:00:00 - Introduction00:46 - Journey at Workato: From Integration to Intelligent Agents03:40 - The Evolution from SaaS to Agentic Workflows07:51 - Best-of-Breed Apps Creating Data Silos and Integration Challenges10:54 - Employee Productivity Gains Through Unified Agent Interfaces13:20 - The Agency Gap: Low-Value vs. Core Business Process Automation17:32 - Real-World Agent Deployments: Quote-to-Cash and IT Helpdesk20:12 - Proactive vs. Reactive Agents: Where Does Automation Stop?24:42 - Trust, Governance, and Control in Autonomous Agent Systems28:42 - Preparing for the Apps-to-Agents Transition33:04 - Lightning Round: Getting Hands-On to Shorten Learning CurvesVisit our website - https://saassessions.com/Connect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunilneurgaonkar/

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