A2A and MCP: the plumbing for AI agents
AI agents are only useful if they can reach your calendar, CRM, inventory and website. Two open standards now aim to make those connections simple — and safe.
By the Xuru Technologies team · 11 April 2025
Key takeaways
- On 9 April 2025 Google announced Agent2Agent (A2A), an open protocol for AI agents to communicate and coordinate across vendors.
- Google described A2A as complementing Anthropic's Model Context Protocol (MCP), which connects AI models to tools and data.
- Dozens of technology partners announced support.
- Standards make it easier to connect AI to business systems — and make access control more important.
Remember when every phone had its own charger? Then a standard arrived and everything got easier. AI agents are going through the same moment.
What happened
At Google Cloud Next, Google introduced A2A so that agents built by different companies can share tasks and information. The New Stack explained how A2A lets agents advertise capabilities and hand work to each other, while MCP gives a model access to tools like databases and files.
What it means for businesses
- Easier integrations. Booking systems, CRMs and accounting tools adopting these standards can connect to AI assistants with less custom work.
- Your data becomes reachable. That is powerful and risky. Permissions must be deliberate.
- Websites may expose actions. In time, assistants may check availability or request quotes through standard connections rather than only through forms.
- Vendor choice matters. Prefer tools with open APIs and clear security over closed systems.
What to do now
| Area | Step |
|---|---|
| Systems inventory | List the tools that hold your key data and whether they have APIs |
| Access | Use separate, limited accounts or keys for any AI integration |
| Logging | Record what automated tools do in your systems |
| Website | Keep booking and enquiry systems on platforms with good integrations |
Frequently asked questions
What is MCP?
The Model Context Protocol is an open standard introduced by Anthropic for connecting AI models to external tools and data sources in a consistent way.
Do small businesses need to understand these protocols?
Not in technical detail. What matters is choosing tools that support open integrations and controlling what AI can access.
Is connecting AI to our systems safe?
It can be, with limited permissions, approval steps for sensitive actions and good logging.
Connect AI to your tools, safely.
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