Azure API Management provides a single, Azure-native level to govern everything from accepted APIs to AI models, tools, and agents.
As AI moves into production, however systems interact is fundamentally changing. Organizations indispensable present negociate not conscionable APIs, but however AI systems run crossed the enterprise.
We’re arrogant to stock that Microsoft has been named Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide API Management 2026 Vendor Assessment (#US52034025, March 2026). We judge this designation reflects our absorption connected helping organizations securely standard APIs and AI unneurotic with the control, visibility, and reliability required for production.

Built connected a proven instauration extending into AI
For much than a decade, Azure API Management has served arsenic a trusted power level for API governance, security, and observability astatine a planetary scale, supporting implicit 38,000 customers, astir 3 cardinal APIs, and more than 3 trillion API requests each month. That instauration is present extending to a caller people of workloads.
As organizations bring AI into production, they indispensable govern a increasing premix of API postulation and AI-driven interactions, each with caller governance needs, outgo dynamics, and reliability requirements. What was erstwhile astir connecting systems and exposing APIs is present an operational situation astatine scale. Organizations indispensable continuously negociate however models, tools, and agents behave successful accumulation controlling cost, enforcing policies, and ensuring reliability crossed multi-provider AI traffic.
AI gateway capabilities successful API Management physique connected this foundation, extending API Management’s proven API governance to AI workloads. Today, much than 2,000 endeavor customers are already utilizing these capabilities to safely operationalize AI.
One level to standard APIs and AI
To conscionable this shift, organizations request a simpler model, 1 level that brings consistency crossed some APIs and AI.
Azure API Management provides a single, Azure-native level to govern everything from accepted APIs to AI models, tools, and agents, built connected a instauration proven astatine endeavor scale. This allows organizations to determination faster with AI without losing control, visibility, oregon consistency arsenic they scale. By standardizing however systems link and interact, teams tin trim fragmentation, simplify operations, and make a trusted instauration for innovation crossed the business.
This attack is already delivering results connected a planetary scale. Heineken uses Azure API Management arsenic the backbone of its planetary API platform, enabling teams to physique and standard integer experiences faster portion maintaining a consistent, centrally governed foundation. In conscionable 5 months, Heineken built and deployed a worldwide API level present handling 50 cardinal API calls per month, achieving 100% uptime since go-live, and reducing outgo per API telephone by up to 75% through standardized governance and information astatine scale.
Governance by plan for AI astatine scale
As AI adoption grows, the situation shifts from gathering models to operating them reliably successful production. Organizations request a accordant mode to power however AI systems run successful production.
Azure API Management provides that governance layer, allowing organizations to specify however AI systems entree models, tools, and agents, portion enforcing information policies, monitoring usage, and maintaining power implicit outgo and behaviour crossed environments. This ensures each enactment is secure, observable, and aligned with concern and compliance requirements.
This attack is already proving indispensable successful real-world deployments. Banco Bradesco uses Azure API Management to securely negociate AI services and APIs crossed channels, applying centralized governance and end-to-end visibility. By standardizing however APIs and AI services are exposed and consumed, the slope ensures accordant information policies, improves monitoring crossed interactions, and supports high-scale integer banking experiences with beardown information protection.
With Microsoft Azure API Management, we securely negociate AI services and APIs crossed each channels. It’s the backbone of our architecture scaling with request portion maintaining strict governance and information protection.
—Phelipi Dal’Olio, Bridge Manager, Banco BradescoTurning AI innovation into concern impact
With governance successful place, organizations tin determination beyond experimentation and absorption connected delivering existent concern worth with AI.
Telefónica Brasil is utilizing Azure OpenAI to heighten lawsuit interactions crossed integer channels. This improves work experiences, accelerates effect times, and enables much personalized engagement astatine scale.
At the aforesaid time, Access Group embedded AI straight into its merchandise portfolio. Using Azure API Management arsenic the instauration of its AI gateway, Access launched implicit 50 AI-powered products successful a azygous twelvemonth and scaled to 2.2 cardinal users. The institution besides achieved ISO 42001 certification for liable AI, demonstrating however governance tin accelerate innovation.
Air India deployed a generative AI adjunct astatine scale. It present handles up to 40,000 lawsuit queries per day, has resolved implicit 13 cardinal conversations, and operates with a 97% occurrence rate. This allows the hose to standard lawsuit enactment without expanding cause measurement portion redeeming millions annually.
Azure API Management supports this displacement by providing a accordant mode to expose, secure, and negociate the APIs that powerfulness these AI-driven experiences, helping organizations determination from isolated innovation to production-ready, enterprise-scale impact.
Expanding the level for what’s next
As organizations follow caller enactment patterns crossed APIs and AI systems, the level continues to evolve. Azure API Management is expanding to enactment emerging scenarios, including governed cause interactions, exposing APIs arsenic reusable tools for AI systems, and enabling centralized find and argumentation enforcement crossed environments. This ensures organizations tin follow caller capabilities without introducing fragmentation oregon losing control.
As organizations proceed to put successful AI, the quality to govern however systems and AI interact astatine standard volition go a defining capability. API absorption is evolving from connecting systems to enabling controlled, trusted enactment crossed the enterprise.
We’re honored to beryllium named a Leader successful the 2026 IDC MarketScape for Worldwide API Management Vendor Assessment, and we stay committed to helping organizations standard APIs and AI with confidence.