Beyond Chatbots: Build Your First Production Agent with Microsoft Foundry

AI agents are rapidly moving beyond simple conversational experiences. In this session, we will build the foundation of a production-ready agent using Microsoft Foundry Agent Service, Microsoft Agent Framework, and Azure application services.

Starting from a practical enterprise operations scenario, we will define the agent’s responsibilities, instructions, tools, conversation state, and structured outputs. We will then connect the agent to a Foundry model, add a typed function tool, stream responses to a web application, and examine the architectural differences between a model call, an assistant, an agent, and an agent workflow.

The session will also explore hosting options, including Foundry hosted agents and custom agent applications deployed to Azure Container Apps. Along the way, we will discuss identity, configuration, state management, failure boundaries, and the design decisions that separate a useful prototype from an application that can evolve toward production.

By the end of the session, attendees will understand the core components of a Microsoft Foundry agent application and will have a reusable starting point for building their own agentic solutions. Key topics: Microsoft Foundry Agent Service Microsoft Agent Framework Agent instructions and tool contracts Conversation state and streaming responses Structured outputs Hosted agents and Azure Container Apps Production-oriented agent architecture