Agentic AI: MCP & A2A Standards Drive Data Access & Orchestration

Agentic AI's ability to access data and work together relies on two key open standards: Model Context Protocol (MCP) and Agent2Agent (A2A). These standards are crucial for agentic AI applications in areas like customer experience, HR, and cybersecurity. MCP handles data access, allowing AI agents to tap into enterprise data repositories with proper governance. A2A is for agent orchestration, enabling different AI agents to collaborate. Without these, agents couldn't interact with company data or each other. The Linux Foundation now manages both MCP and A2A. MCP began at Anthropic, and A2A was launched by Google with input from major tech companies. These standards were released in late 2024 and early 2025, and the tech world is rapidly building upon them. However, integrating these agents into organizations still presents challenges. Questions remain about how to prioritize work across departments when multiple agents are involved, especially concerning control and accountability. The bottom line is that these foundational standards are enabling the rapid expansion of agentic AI, but their newness means there's still room for development and clarification on their implementation.