The Agentic Enterprise: Don't Wait for Perfection to Start

66degrees CEO Ben Kesler and CTO Brian Gregory discuss why data modernization is the key to moving AI from science experiments to real business value.

The Reality Gap in AI Adoption We are rapidly moving toward the "Agentic Enterprise"—a future where humans and AI agents operate together to build the organization. While 70% of enterprises currently have a strategy for this transition, the reality is stark: only about one in ten agentic opportunities are actually successful.

Why the gap? According to Brian Gregory, CTO of 66degrees, the issue often isn't a lack of belief in the technology, but a struggle to move from single-point "science experiments" to a cohesive framework where agents can actually communicate and create a multiplier effect on value.

Data is the Prerequisite The biggest hurdle to the agentic enterprise is legacy data. As Gregory notes, "You’re only as good as your data". For many organizations, critical data is trapped in siloed, on-premise systems or mainframes, inaccessible to modern AI tools.

However, the path to modernization has changed. Historically, migrating legacy code (like COBOL) was a massive financial risk because few people understood the business logic buried in millions of lines of code. Today, AI tools like Gemini and Google’s mainframe assessment tools can analyze this legacy code to provide confidence and insight, potentially accelerating modernization timelines by 70-80%.

The Parallel Strategy: Start Now A common misconception is that you must finish modernizing your data estate before touching AI. Gregory argues you should do both simultaneously.

You can solve immediate business problems—like automating a 3-day supply chain process down to minutes—while working on the longer-term project of unlocking your organization's core data. The technology stack, particularly from Google, is now designed with open standards that prevent "agent silos," allowing internal agents to eventually talk to external suppliers and partners.

The Bottom Line The technology landscape is changing quarter over quarter. Leaders cannot afford to wait for a perfect strategy. The best advice for those looking to build the agentic enterprise? "Start now". Perform an assessment to understand where your data sits today, and begin the work of harmonizing it so it is consumable for the future

‍