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Core Concepts and Terminology

This page introduces the common concepts and terminology used throughout the IB-X platform.

Understanding these concepts will help you navigate the documentation and understand how automation solutions are designed, executed, and managed.

Agent​

An Agent is the primary automation unit in the IB-X platform.

Agents execute on the IB-X platform and automate business processes, orchestrate AI-powered workflows, deliver conversational experiences, and integrate with enterprise systems.

An Agent is designed once, published to the platform, and can be executed many times.

Local Agent​

A Local Agent executes on a user workstation through Smart Station.

Local Agents are used when automation must interact directly with desktop applications, local files, or resources that are only available within a user's environment.

Like Agents, Local Agents are designed once and can be executed multiple times.

Automation​

An Automation is a running or completed execution of an Agent or Local Agent.

Each time an Agent or Local Agent starts executing, IB-X creates a new Automation instance.

An Agent may have thousands of automation executions throughout its lifetime.

Workflow​

A Workflow defines the sequence of activities, decisions, and execution paths that make up an Agent or Local Agent.

Workflows describe:

  • What actions should occur
  • In what order they occur
  • How decisions are made
  • How data moves through the process

Workflows are designed visually using Agent Designer or Local Agent Designer.

Activity​

An Activity is an individual step within a workflow.

Activities perform specific actions such as:

  • Reading files
  • Sending emails
  • Calling APIs
  • Executing AI prompts
  • Processing data
  • Interacting with databases

Workflows are created by connecting activities together.

Trigger​

A Trigger determines when an Agent starts executing.

A trigger represents an event that initiates an automation.

Examples include:

  • A scheduled time
  • A received email
  • A file arriving in a folder
  • An API request
  • A webhook event
  • A user message
  • Manual execution

Without a trigger, an Agent cannot start automatically.

Connection​

A Connection stores the information required to communicate securely with external systems and services.

Connections allow workflows to access resources such as:

  • Databases
  • Cloud storage
  • Email servers
  • AI providers
  • Enterprise applications
  • Third-party APIs

Connections are managed centrally and can be reused across multiple workflows.

Knowledge Base​

A Knowledge Base is a repository of information that can be used by AI-powered workflows and conversational experiences.

Knowledge can be built from sources such as:

  • Documents
  • Websites
  • Uploaded files
  • Enterprise content

Agents can retrieve information from Knowledge Bases during execution to provide accurate, context-aware responses.

Publish​

Publishing makes an Agent or Local Agent available for execution.

During publishing, the latest version of the workflow is prepared and deployed to the appropriate runtime environment.

Only published versions can be executed outside of design-time testing.

AI Command Center​

AI Command Center is the central management portal for the IB-X platform.

It is used to:

  • Manage Agents
  • Monitor automations
  • Configure connections
  • Manage users and permissions
  • View reports
  • Monitor platform health

Agent Designer​

Agent Designer is the visual workflow authoring environment used to design server-side Agents.

It enables you to build workflows by combining activities, business logic, integrations, AI capabilities, and triggers.

Local Agent Designer​

Local Agent Designer is the workflow authoring environment used to design Local Agents.

It provides capabilities for building desktop automation workflows that execute through Smart Station.

Smart Station​

Smart Station is the runtime environment used to execute Local Agents.

It manages desktop automation, local application interaction, and communication with the IB-X platform.

Smart Buddy​

Smart Buddy is the desktop assistant that allows users to launch and interact with Local Agents.

Integration Gateway​

Integration Gateway provides managed access to AI services and cloud integrations.

Depending on your configuration, workflows can use:

  • Customer-managed credentials (BYOK)
  • IB-X managed services and credits

Next Step​

Continue to Choose Your Journey to identify the type of solution you want to build and determine whether it should be implemented as an Agent or a Local Agent.