Bot Management Evolves Into Bot And Agent Trust Management
Forrester renames bot management software to bot and agent trust management software to reflect broader use cases and growing AI agent traffic.
Forrester has announced a significant shift in the cybersecurity landscape, renaming bot management software to bot and agent trust management software. This change reflects the expanding scope of automated traffic management, now encompassing not just bots but also AI agents acting on behalf of users.
Key Changes in the Market
- Expanding Focus: Originally designed to distinguish between bots and humans, bot management tools now address more nuanced questions, including whether traffic originates from humans, bots, or AI agents—and their intent.
- Emergence of AI Agents: With the rise of generative AI and AI agents, organizations must verify whether traffic comes from trusted sources, such as AI agents acting on behalf of customers or partners.
Why the Renaming?
- Beyond Bots: While AI agent traffic is currently small, its rapid growth necessitates tools that handle both bots and agents.
- Trust-Centric Approach: The focus shifts from simply blocking bad bots to establishing trust—evaluating the trustworthiness of bots, agents, or humans and adjusting permissions accordingly.
Web Application Protection Platforms
Security leaders face choices between all-in-one platforms (e.g., WAF, API security, bot management) and best-of-breed solutions. Some organizations layer specialized bot and AI agent protection on top of broader security platforms.
New Use Cases
Modern bot and agent trust management tools must:
- Tie AI agent traffic to specific accounts.
- Ensure seamless, trusted transactions for customers and their automated representatives.
Forrester’s Definition
Bot and agent trust management software is defined as:
Software that identifies and analyzes the intent of automated traffic directed at an application, establishing ongoing trust relationships with good bots and agents and rejecting malicious ones.
Looking Ahead
Forrester will release a landscape report on this evolving market by year-end. For deeper insights, security professionals can attend the Security & Risk Summit in November, featuring a panel moderated by the author with experts John Buten and Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf.
Stay tuned for more updates on how bot and agent trust management is reshaping cybersecurity.
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About the Author
Dr. Sarah Chen
AI Research Expert
A seasoned AI expert with 15 years of research experience, formerly worked at Stanford AI Lab for 8 years, specializing in machine learning and natural language processing. Currently serves as technical advisor for multiple AI companies and regularly contributes AI technology analysis articles to authoritative media like MIT Technology Review.