Microsoft is developing a business-focused alternative to OpenClaw with an emphasis on corporate security

Published: 2026-04-16 04:14:11 ET MSFT

Published on 04/16/2026 at 04:14 am EDT

Key takeaways

Microsoft is currently exploring new ways to expand the functionality of its digital assistant for the business market. The company wants to add technology similar to the popular programme OpenClaw to its existing offering for professional users. This strategic move is intended to provide an effective answer to the rapidly growing demand for autonomous software.

Shift towards local processing

OpenClaw is a tool that runs locally on a user’s computer instead of on an external server. It enables people to create digital agents that autonomously carry out complex tasks from start to finish without human intervention.

Up to now, for its AI applications Microsoft has mainly relied on cloud technology, which requires a permanent and stable internet connection. The possible development of its own local variant therefore represents a fundamental change in the company’s long-term strategy.

Expansion of the existing offering

The new functionality complements the range of tools the software company has already launched over the past three months. In March, for example, Microsoft introduced the Cowork feature for its business customers, a tool designed to perform actions directly within various office programmes.

The underlying software analyses the employee’s daily behaviour in order to make the digital support as efficient as possible. In addition, paying users were given the option late last year to deploy the language model Claude for their administrative tasks.

Competition in the hardware market

The rising popularity of open-source projects such as OpenClaw is meanwhile having an impact on the hardware market, as users often opt for competitor Apple’s Mac Mini to run these local agents. As a result, sales of these desktop computers are increasing, putting Microsoft under pressure to offer an alternative for its Windows operating system.

It is still unclear whether the application will run entirely locally or will only adopt certain OpenClaw features for tasks that consist of fifteen steps. Financial analysts expect the company to reveal more details in June during the annual gathering for software developers, which should provide clarity on this technological integration. (fc)

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