MiHCM at Microsoft Build 2025: Revolutionizing HR with AI-Driven Automation in Asia

MiHCM’s spotlight appearance at Microsoft Build 2025 in Kuala Lumpur marks a transformative moment in the intersection of HR technology and artificial intelligence. In May, the company announced its deep integration with Microsoft’s Azure AI Foundry Agent Service, placing it firmly at the center of Microsoft’s broader vision for agentic AI—where autonomous, task-oriented AI “agents” actively orchestrate workflows and perform complex decision-making across enterprise environments. The event, one of the year’s most closely watched developer conferences, drew global attention to MiHCM’s pioneering approach to HR automation, AI-driven insights, and secure cloud services, especially as businesses worldwide race to capitalize on generative AI and automation trends.

MiHCM’s Rise: Context and Key Achievements​

Headquartered in Sri Lanka with regional hubs in Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Singapore, MiHCM has established itself as a leader in cloud-based HR solutions. According to its leadership, the company now serves over 1,000 enterprise-scale clients across 22 countries and has forged a particularly strong presence in Asia’s rapidly digitizing economies. Their sprawling partner network extends into 13 countries, covering a diverse set of industries including banking, manufacturing, technology, telecom, and conglomerates.
Central to this rise is MiHCM’s relentless focus on transforming HR—from a back-office function into a data-driven, intelligence-powered collaborator with business leadership. Their platform lets companies automate everything from recruitment and onboarding to leave management and time tracking, gathering organizational data that can be wielded by advanced AI models for truly dynamic workforce management.
This success has not gone unnoticed by Microsoft. In April 2025, MiHCM was designated a Microsoft Solutions Partner for Data and AI, a title reserved for top-tier partners with rigorous expertise in building scalable, secure, and transformative AI solutions on Microsoft Azure. That foundation paved the way for MiHCM’s selection as a provider in the Azure AI Foundry Agent Service’s exclusive launch partner group.

What Is the Azure AI Foundry Agent Service? Why Does It Matter?​

Unveiled as a core highlight at Microsoft Build 2025, Azure AI Foundry Agent Service represents Microsoft’s answer to the next evolution of enterprise automation. Rather than relying on isolated chatbots or rigid RPA (Robotic Process Automation), Foundry agents are designed as deeply integrated, reusable service agents that tap into enterprise apps, data lakes, and third-party APIs to act—autonomously—on behalf of users and departments. In practice, these agents orchestrate everything from generating analytics to completing HR tasks to handling compliance workflows, all while staying within organizations’ security and governance boundaries.
By joining this ecosystem, MiHCM enables its customers to expose powerful HR workflows—such as leave requests, employee onboarding, or work shifts management—to intelligent agents that can trigger, monitor, and resolve actions end-to-end. The real-world impact: companies can move beyond static process automation, embedding smart, context-aware actions directly into Microsoft 365, Teams, or custom workplace chat experiences.

Technical Underpinnings​

At the heart of the integration lies MiHCM’s Action APIs. These APIs abstract core HR functions and data—attendance, leave, analytics, payroll, performance reviews—and present them securely to approved AI agents running inside Azure’s boundaries. Microsoft’s AI models leverage these APIs to make safe, compliant, and auditable requests, unlocking high-value cross-platform automations without exposing sensitive underlying systems.
Security, as stressed by both organizations, is paramount. Shan Shanmugarajah, MiHCM’s Chief Information Security Officer, highlighted that combining Azure’s mature identity, access control, and auditing framework with MiHCM’s enterprise-grade controls enables transformation “at scale—while ensuring our clients benefit from secure and transformative digital HR solutions.”

Strengths: What Sets MiHCM Apart​

Deep Domain Expertise​

Many HR platforms offer automation, but MiHCM’s vertical focus in HR for Asian markets gives it an acute understanding of regulatory barriers, labor compliance, and local workflows. Its multi-country deployment expertise makes it uniquely qualified to serve conglomerates navigating disparate talent regulations and cultural contexts.

Cloud-Native Scale​

MiHCM’s platform is architected as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) application from day one, allowing rapid, reliable scaling across geographies. This pure cloud approach is critical, especially for international organizations looking to standardize HR processes quickly without massive IT overhead.

API-First and Interoperable Architecture​

Its investment in developer-friendly, secure APIs has been instrumental in enabling the Foundry agent integration. As enterprise AI moves toward “composable business”—where digital capabilities are combined and recombined on demand—MiHCM’s open stance positions it well for further partnerships, not only with Microsoft, but with other cloud and AI vendors.

Security and Compliance​

Earning Microsoft Solutions Partner status for Data and AI is a significant trust signal. Microsoft’s requirements for partners in this category are documented and require robust protocols for identity, data protection, multi-factor authentication, encryption-at-rest, and inline AI risk assessments. While vendor claims should always be scrutinized, achieving (and sustaining) this status strongly suggests independent audits and successful field deployments.

Critical Analysis: Areas of Risk, Limitations, and What’s Next​

While MiHCM’s achievements are notable, several risks and open questions remain:

Reliance on the Microsoft Ecosystem​

MiHCM’s most advanced features now depend on Azure services and Microsoft’s AI roadmap. While this partnership brings technical and commercial advantages, it introduces a level of dependency. Should Microsoft shift its AI strategy, adjust pricing, or face regulatory challenges (including ongoing EU scrutiny of hyperscale cloud providers’ AI practices), MiHCM customers could be affected. Businesses considering MiHCM as their digital HR backbone should seek contractual assurances regarding service continuity and data portability.

Integration Complexity​

Despite its API-first design, integrating legacy systems, bespoke payroll rules, or non-standard HR data into a new agentic automation layer remains operationally complex. Every organization’s data landscape is unique; MiHCM’s ability to guide clients through these integrations at scale will determine whether its AI-driven promise delivers real business value outside controlled demos.

Security and Data Sovereignty​

MiHCM’s emphasis on security and compliance is reassuring, especially given the ever-increasing regulatory spotlight on employee data, especially across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Still, centralized cloud architectures can be targeted by sophisticated threats, and sovereign data laws (such as those in Indonesia, Vietnam, and India) occasionally require region-specific hosting or data isolation. It’s critical that MiHCM continues to invest in local compliance certifications, zero trust architectures, and transparency regarding incident detection and response procedures.

The AI Hype Cycle​

There’s no question that agentic AI is among the hottest topics in enterprise tech, and Microsoft’s Foundry Agent Service is a showcase platform. However, some business leaders and technology buyers may overestimate today’s capabilities. Autonomous AI agents in HR must be carefully governed, tested for fairness, and regularly audited for compliance with evolving labor laws. Human oversight, rather than full AI autonomy, must remain at the core of any responsible transformation.

Customer Impact and Early Feedback​

MiHCM reports rapid adoption momentum among large enterprises, with notable traction in banking, telecom, and diversified business groups. Clients cite gains in process efficiency, compliance, and employee self-service—but as with any transformative tech, the devil is in the details. Successful projects rely on a close partnership between MiHCM, its global partner ecosystem, and customer IT and HR teams.
While the company claims a footprint reaching more than a thousand clients, independent customer case studies—especially documenting quantitative ROI, change management strategies, and long-term satisfaction—are essential for decision-makers considering a switch. Third-party reviews on analyst platforms corroborate MiHCM’s technical prowess and responsiveness, but, as with any SaaS deployment, local support, uptime guarantees, and exit flexibility deserve close attention.

How Does MiHCM Compare with Other HR Tech Leaders in 2025?​

The global marketplace for digital HR and work tech is intensely competitive, with players such as Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, and Oracle HCM Cloud fielding their own AI integrations. What differentiates MiHCM is its mid-market agility, technical focus on serving Asian multinationals, and close collaboration with Microsoft’s AI engineering teams.
Workday and SAP, for instance, offer sophisticated AI-powered automation, but their platforms are often perceived as heavier, costlier, and less adaptive for mid-tier customers or organizations with complex regional needs. MiHCM’s modular, cloud-native stack often means lower upfront time-to-value and more geographic flexibility. Still, the larger multinational vendors offer deeper integration with global finance, procurement, and learning tools—areas where MiHCM’s ecosystem is still maturing.

Future Outlook​

With generative and agentic AI transforming business operations worldwide, MiHCM’s partnership with Microsoft—and its prominent showing at Microsoft Build—positions it as a formidable player in the next wave of HR tech innovation. Ongoing technical validation, investments in open APIs, and an unwavering focus on security and compliance will be crucial as the company scales up further.
For global and regional HR leaders seeking to automate, digitize, and future-proof their organizations, MiHCM now stands as a top contender, especially in markets where agility, regulatory nuance, and AI-driven analytics are priorities. As customer feedback matures and the agentic AI ecosystem evolves, transparency and verifiable results will separate genuine transformation partners from hype-driven entrants.
In summary, MiHCM’s trajectory—punctuated by its collaboration with Microsoft at Build 2025—showcases the potential and pitfalls of next-generation HR automation. The company’s strengths in security, cloud-native delivery, and regional expertise make it a defining force in the Asia-led digital HR evolution. Yet, as the sector moves into an era where agile AI agents partner with human decision-makers, careful governance, measurable value, and technical independence will shape which providers lead—and which fail to deliver on the promise of intelligent, human-centered HR.

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Source: Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka MiHCM featured at Microsoft Build 2025 for Agent Service APIs