Understanding Agents
Agentic Systems
Autonomous software that observes, decides, and acts within secure, controlled boundaries. Not chatbots with tools—purposeful systems designed for specific outcomes.
Definition
What Is an Agent?
An agent is a software system that can perceive its environment, make decisions, and take actions to achieve specific goals—all with minimal human intervention. Unlike traditional automation, agents handle variability and make contextual decisions.
Intake data from APIs, databases, events, or unstructured sources. Agents understand context.
Apply business logic, ML models, and guardrails to determine the appropriate action.
Execute operations with precision—API calls, data transforms, notifications, workflows.
Improve over time through feedback loops, but only within defined boundaries.
Evaluation
When Do Agents Make Sense?
Agents aren't always the answer. They excel in specific scenarios and can be the wrong choice in others. Honest assessment upfront saves significant time and cost.
Good Fit
- Repetitive decisions with clear criteria
- 24/7 operations requiring consistency
- High-volume processing with nuanced logic
- Workflows too complex for simple rules
- Tasks requiring integration of multiple data sources
Not a Good Fit
- Decisions with legal or ethical ambiguity
- Situations requiring human empathy
- One-time or rarely repeated tasks
- When the cost of errors is catastrophic
- Tasks without clear success criteria
Architecture
How We Build Agents
Every agent we build follows a consistent architecture designed for reliability, observability, and control. No black boxes.
Perception Layer
Data ingestion, normalization, and context assembly
Decision Engine
Logic evaluation, model inference, and action planning
Action Executor
Operation execution with retry logic and error handling
Feedback Collector
Outcome tracking and performance monitoring
Guardrail System
Rate limits, permission checks, and safety boundaries
Audit Logger
Complete action history with decision traces
Control
Monitoring & Control
Autonomy without control is dangerous. Every agent includes comprehensive monitoring and multiple layers of control mechanisms.
Human-in-the-Loop
Critical decisions route to human reviewers before execution.
Kill Switches
Instant shutdown capability at multiple levels—agent, workflow, or system-wide.
Rate Limiting
Configurable limits on actions per minute, hour, or day to prevent runaway behavior.
Scope Boundaries
Agents only access resources explicitly granted. No implicit permissions.
Ready to Explore Agents?
Let's discuss whether an agentic approach makes sense for your use case. We'll be honest about fit.
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