What is Model Context Protocol? A practical guide to MCP
Blog post from Cohere
MCP (Managed Collaboration Platform) offers a way to reduce integration complexity in enterprise AI environments by bringing agents, tools, permissions, and monitoring into a single governed workspace, though it requires careful security design and operational governance. MCP is not inherently secure for enterprise use, and its security relies heavily on proper configuration of authentication, authorization, permissions, server trust, logging, monitoring, and approval processes for handling sensitive actions. Enterprises have the option to use existing vendor-provided or open-source MCP servers, which can be customized to meet specific security and functionality needs or to connect proprietary systems. MCP servers can be operated either locally or remotely; local servers are typically used for developer tools and workstation-based workflows, while remote servers are better suited for centrally managed systems, necessitating robust authentication and monitoring controls.