How to Leverage the Agentic Web: Enterprise Best Practices for 2025

The agentic web represents the next evolution of internet interaction where AI agents act autonomously on your behalf—logging into systems, navigating websites, calling APIs, and coordinating tasks across platforms. For enterprises, success stems from a dual approach: implementing open standards, such as MCP and A2A, while utilizing controlled browser automation where standards are not yet available, all with robust governance and security controls. 

Forward-thinking enterprises are already positioning themselves for what’s next. Businesses that understand how to harness the ability of agentic web use responsibly will gain a significant competitive advantage. 

Why Should You Care About Agentic Web Use? 

Think about how your team currently handles routine digital tasks. Someone logs into a vendor portal, navigates through multiple screens, fills out forms, downloads reports, and maybe cross-references data with other systems. It’s time-consuming, error-prone, and frankly, not the best use of human talent. 

The agentic web completely changes this dynamic. Instead of the traditional “read, click, submit” workflow, we’re moving toward “ask, assign, verify.” AI agents can securely handle these repetitive digital processes at machine speed, with proper oversight and controls. 

Two key standards are driving this transformation: 

Model Context Protocol (MCP) enables AI applications and tools to communicate in a standardized format, allowing agents to access data and perform actions safely across different systems. 

Agent-to-Agent (A2A) protocol allows agents to discover, authenticate, and coordinate with each other across different vendors and technology stacks. This is essential for enterprise workflows that span multiple systems. 

Major technology providers have recently launched agentic capabilities. OpenAI’s ChatGPT agent can perform multi-step web tasks, Microsoft Edge Copilot Mode adds agentic workflows directly into browsers, and Perplexity’s Comet demonstrates end-to-end task automation.  

The Current Reality: Standards Plus Screen Operations 

Here’s the practical truth: while MCP and A2A standards are gaining traction, most existing websites and legacy systems don’t expose agent-friendly endpoints yet. That’s why successful enterprises are adopting a two-track approach. 

Track one focuses on implementing standards-based solutions where possible. Track two uses controlled browser automation—what we call “screen-ops”—where agents safely log in, navigate, and complete tasks just like a human would, but with strict governance controls. 

Internal testing shows this pattern clearly. An agent signs into a member portal, navigates through menus, extracts relevant data, and cross-checks information across systems. It’s useful and measurably faster than manual processes, though it occasionally requires human intervention. That’s expected at this stage and actually reinforces why the dual-track approach makes sense. 

Essential Best Practices for Enterprise Agentic Web Implementation 

Start with Real, Measurable Workflows 

Don’t begin with flashy demos or proof-of-concepts that look impressive but don’t solve actual business problems. Instead, identify repetitive processes with clear success criteria and measurable outcomes. 

For example, consider a process like applying for city building permits and tracking status updates. This involves file attachments, form completion, and periodic status checks. Trigger the agent from your existing project management system, log every action it takes, and measure key metrics like lead time, error rates, and human touch time before and after implementation. 

This approach works because you’re replacing “swivel-chair” work rather than reinventing your entire architecture. You’ll quickly learn where agents need fallback procedures, what permissions they require, and which steps should be transitioned to MCP or A2A endpoints next. 

Implement a Two-Track Architecture Strategy 

Your architecture should prioritize standards while accommodating current limitations: 

Standards-First Track: Publish key business capabilities through MCP servers for data pulls, document generation, and approval workflows. Plan A2A entry points so trusted external agents can request actions from your systems. This reduces brittle UI automation over time and creates a foundation for long-term scalability. 

Screen-Operations Track: Where you can’t change legacy systems immediately, allow controlled browser automation with strict scoping, per-site security profiles, network egress controls, and mandatory human approval for high-risk actions. Your policies should clearly specify when agents can take control and how they exit gracefully when issues arise. 

Design Identity and Access Management for Agents 

Treat agents as first-class users in your IAM strategy. Apply least-privilege access principles with dedicated agent identities, short-lived credentials, and audit-friendly secret management. Always require explicit user consent when agents access personal accounts. 

Align your approach with the NIST AI Risk Management Framework categories: govern, map, measure, and manage. Document potential risks and mitigation strategies upfront rather than trying to retrofit security later. 

Build Comprehensive Observability 

Agents should generate human-readable activity logs that include sites visited, fields completed, APIs called, decision rationale, and final outcomes. This helps with debugging, provides transparency for auditors, and enables continuous improvement of prompts and tools. 

Your minimum telemetry should capture: 

• Complete action timeline with timestamps 

• Input and output data (properly redacted for sensitive information) 

• Source pages and API references 

• Confidence levels, uncertainty indicators, and fallback procedures 

Some agentic browsers already emphasize step-logging and user confirmation for critical actions. For the best results, use this as your baseline standard. 

Implement Human-in-the-Loop as Standard Practice 

Rather than treating human oversight as an exception, build it into your standard workflow patterns. Require approvals for irreversible actions like submitting orders, accepting legal terms, or processing financial transactions. 

Design interrupt-resume capabilities so analysts can take control when needed—perhaps to complete an identity challenge or correct an unexpected path—and then hand control back to the agent. This pattern has proven essential in real-world implementations. 

Optimize Your Content for Answer Engine Optimization 

Agents prefer machine-readable clarity, and optimizing for them often improves the human experience too. Structure your content with scannable headings, numbered steps, checklists, and clear “quick answer” sections. 

Implement structured data markup using JSON-LD schemas. Even beyond traditional SEO benefits, structured data helps agent parsers extract facts and available actions precisely. Where appropriate, publish actionable endpoints that describe task capabilities. This doesn’t replace A2A or MCP standards, but makes your intentions machine-visible today. 

Keep your policies, pricing, SLAs, and compliance documentation current and clearly written. Agents penalize ambiguity just as much as human users do. 

Establish Strong Compliance and Privacy Guardrails 

Define clear rules about what agents can access, store, or transmit. Enforce data minimization practices, PII masking, geographic and tenant boundaries, and real-time log redaction. Require vendors to document their training data usage, retention policies, and sub-processor relationships. 

Prefer solutions that keep enterprise data within your control plane rather than sending it to external services for processing. Align review cycles with your existing AI governance programs and risk management frameworks. 

The Strategic Advantage 

The enterprises that succeed with the agentic web won’t be those that wait for perfect standards or flawless automation. They’ll be the ones that start now with practical, measured approaches. This requires the use of standards where possible and controlled screen-ops where necessary, always with strong governance and security. 

Your internal testing has likely already shown that agents don’t flawlessly navigate the web today, but the path forward is clear and practical. Standards like MCP and A2A will handle increasingly sophisticated tasks over time. Meanwhile, screen-ops with proper guardrails can deliver immediate value on real work while you build the foundation for full interoperability. 

This is how enterprise teams capture value now while building sustainable advantages for what comes next. The agentic web is here today. While it may not be as widely used as traditional browsers, that will most likely change very quickly. The question is whether your organization will be ready to leverage it responsibly and effectively. 

The businesses that begin this journey today, with proper planning and realistic expectations, will find themselves significantly ahead when agentic capabilities become truly mainstream. 

Don’t wait for the perfect moment, start building your agentic web capabilities now. Contact us today to learn what your Agentic Roadmap should look like.