What is MCP?
MCP, the Model Context Protocol, is an open standard that lets AI tools connect to apps and to each other. Here is what it means for a business team, without the jargon.
MCP in one paragraph
MCP stands for Model Context Protocol. It's an open standard, first published by Anthropic and now supported across many AI tools, that describes how an AI model can discover and use tools: read a file, look up a customer, create a task. Think of it as a common plug. If a tool offers an MCP server, any MCP-ready AI can use it without a custom integration.
What it changes for business teams
For a business team, MCP means fewer one-off integrations and less copying between AI tools. Your assistant can ask your AI employee for a report; your AI employee can pull numbers from another system. The important question becomes control: who owns each connection, what it may change, and who approves the result.
That's where Switch comes in. Every Switch MCP connection belongs to a specific AI employee with a named owner, and anything that sends or changes data waits for a person to approve it in Teams or Slack.
The next step
We start by looking at the work your teams repeat every week and tell you honestly which of it suits an AI employee. A typical first candidate is "an AI assistant needs data from your tools" in MCP server: the AI employee prepares tool access, and the tool owner approves it.
The point isn't to add another AI tool; it's to move a number your business cares about. That's why Switch is custom: we set a goal, build to it and measure it with you. Start with a free test, then choose Platform or Managed.
Example jobs
Job
Works in
Produces
Approved by
An AI assistant needs data from your tools
MCP server
Tool access
Tool owner
One agent hands work to another
MCP
Handover
Named person
Keep control over what it can do
Permissions + approval
Approved result
Owner
See what an AI employee would do for your team.
30 minutes with Switch. We map your first agents with you.
How it works with Switch
Step 1
Agree the plan
Agree the steps, owners and dates together.
Step 2
Map your needs
Understand your workflow, pain points and goals.
Step 3
See it on your work
See a working agent on your own workflow.
Step 4
Business case
Connect the value to cost, revenue and margin.
Step 5
Price and terms
Agree scope and price for one first agent.
Step 6
References
Hear from customers who have done it.
Step 7
Procurement
Clear legal, security and vendor onboarding.
Step 8
Sign and start
Sign the shared scope and book the kick-off.
By company size
Questions
Do we need developers to use MCP?
Not with Switch. Switch MCP is set up as part of the platform, and on Managed the Switch team connects your key tools.
Does a person still approve the work?
Yes. Every AI employee hands its result to a named person in Teams or Slack, who approves, edits or rejects it before anything is sent or changed.
Will AI employees replace people on the team?
No. They take repeatable work off the team's plate so people spend their time on judgement, customers and decisions.
How do we get started?
Start with a free test together with a Switch team member, then choose Platform to build your own AI employees or Managed to have Switch find, build and roll them out for you.