How can aerospace and defense organizations modernize legacy systems without disrupting operations?

Legacy IT infrastructure is one of the industry’s most pressing challenges, limiting data accessibility, slowing AI‑driven analytics and creating operational and security gaps. With 36% of A&D leaders prioritizing infrastructure modernization, organizations are seeking ways to improve performance while supporting emerging technologies. Protiviti supports A&D organizations in modernizing technology foundations so they can reduce risk, improve reliability and accelerate innovation.

What AI adoption challenges are slowing progress for A&D organizations?

A&D executives cite the inability to deploy AI at a competitive pace (29%), uncertain ROI (29%), and increased third-party risk (27%) as their top hurdles. Many organizations also struggle with integration and workforce readiness, making it difficult to scale AI beyond early pilots. Protiviti helps organizations implement responsible AI frameworks and operational strategies so AI delivers sustained, enterprise-wide value.

What cybersecurity risks should A&D leaders prepare for in 2026?

Cyber threats are the #1 near-term risk for the A&D sector, driven by CMMC requirements and rapidly advancing, state-sponsored attack tactics. These attacks increasingly target intellectual property, supply chains and critical systems using methods such as zero-day exploits and AI-enabled reconnaissance. Protiviti helps organizations strengthen cyber resilience, improve third-party oversight and meet evolving regulatory expectations.

Where are aerospace and defense executives planning to invest most in the next two to three years?

The top investment areas include data privacy (48%), cybersecurity (42%) and infrastructure modernization (36%), reflecting the sector’s focus on safeguarding sensitive information and enabling advanced technology. These priorities support improved resilience, readiness for AI and compliance with expanding global regulations. Protiviti helps A&D organizations turn these investment areas into measurable improvements in performance, security and operational agility.

What long-term risks should A&D executives prepare for as they plan the next decade?

The top 10-year challenges include long-term security and privacy concerns (58%), evolving AI deployment risks (41%) and increasing sustainability requirements (38%). These areas reflect expanding regulatory expectations and the growing complexity of autonomous systems and digital platforms.

Top Risks 2027: Healthcare Insights

5 min read

2027 Executive Perspectives on Top Risks and Opportunities

Healthcare leaders enter 2027 with little room for error and few easy paths to growth. Margin pressure, reimbursement constraints, workforce shortages, regulatory complexity and cybersecurity threats are converging at once for providers and payers alike. Protiviti's 2027 findings show growth depending less on traditional expansion and more on strengthening resilience, modernizing capabilities and creating new value from existing patient and member relationships. Healthcare organizations remain more confident protecting value than creating it, a gap that could limit growth as care models and partnerships evolve. Read the healthcare brief to see how leaders are building the talent, governance, technology and operating models needed to grow.

Explore the 2027 healthcare insights

Watch the 2027 cross-industry webinar on-demand

Where healthcare leaders see the greatest growth opportunities over the next two to three years

Healthcare leaders are rethinking where growth comes from. Ecosystem development was the only growth area to rise, as providers and payers shift from traditional expansion toward partnerships, new care models and more value from existing patient and member relationships.

64 %

see opportunity in ecosystem development

62 %

see revenue potential as an opportunity

35 %

see opportunity in geographic expansion

Explore featured solutions and industries

Turning protection into growth depends on cyber resilience, governed AI, modern infrastructure and a workforce built for what comes next. These capabilities help providers and payers protect enterprise value while building the capacity to transform.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Prioritize, build and embed AI in real workflows, with governance, security and change enablement that help teams adopt it responsibly and deliver measurable value.

Learn more

Cybersecurity

Protect sensitive data and critical assets across the organization, from cloud and identity to incident response, while maintaining privacy and compliance.

Learn more

Technology

Modernize infrastructure and applications across cloud, ERP, data and cybersecurity, connecting technology strategy to execution when legacy systems limit growth.

Learn more

Healthcare

Help providers and payer manage risk, improve operations and preserve revenue, with support across AI, analytics, revenue integrity, risk and compliance.

Learn more

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Prioritize, build and embed AI in real workflows, with governance, security and change enablement that help teams adopt it responsibly and deliver measurable value.

Learn more

Cybersecurity

Protect sensitive data and critical assets across the organization, from cloud and identity to incident response, while maintaining privacy and compliance.

Learn more

Technology

Modernize infrastructure and applications across cloud, ERP, data and cybersecurity, connecting technology strategy to execution when legacy systems limit growth.

Learn more

Healthcare

Help providers and payer manage risk, improve operations and preserve revenue, with support across AI, analytics, revenue integrity, risk and compliance.

Learn more

Discover our full catalog of insight briefs for additional research findings and expert commentary related to the 2027 report on Top Risks and Opportunities.

Insights by industry
Insights by organizational role

Insights by industry

Aerospace & Defense

CPG & Retail

Energy & Utilities

Financial Services

Higher Education

Manufacturing & Distribution

Private Equity

Non Profit

Technology, Media & Telecommunications

Insights by organizational role

Finance Teams

Information Security Teams

Internal Audit Teams

Operations Teams

Technology & Data Teams

FAQs

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What are the top risks for healthcare organizations in 2027?

Cyber threats remain No. 1, followed by regulatory change, AI implementation, privacy compliance and economic conditions. The biggest movers: privacy jumped from No. 12 to No. 4, AI from No. 7 to No. 3 and regulatory change from No. 4 to No. 2. Each concern intensified from last year, and leaders are managing them at once with the same teams and constrained resources. Third-party vendors are now viewed as risks equal to those inside their own walls.

What are the most significant AI challenges healthcare executives expect to face, and how are they preparing for them?

AI is the fastest-rising near-term risk in healthcare, moving from No. 7 to No. 3. Providers face questions about patient disclosure and consent, clinical accuracy, documentation integrity and liability, while payers face scrutiny when AI influences coverage, prior authorization and claims decisions. Leaders are preparing by prioritizing integration of AI into existing workflows (44%), stronger governance and accountability (42%) and workforce readiness (41%), including AI inventories, risk tiering, human oversight and performance monitoring.

Which risks are most urgent for healthcare organizations in the next few years?

The most urgent near-term risks for healthcare organizations are cyber threats, heightened regulatory change and fragmentation, new risks from implementing AI, privacy and identity protection compliance, and economic conditions, including inflationary pressures. Regulatory change rose from No. 4 to No. 2, and privacy jumped from No. 12 to No. 4. Cyber threats remain No. 1 because attacks can disrupt clinical care and claims processing, and leaders increasingly view third-party vendors as risks equal to those within their own environments.

Where are healthcare organizations planning to focus their investments to protect margins and improve performance?

Healthcare organizations rank human capital management and workforce skilling as their top investment priority at 39%, up from 32%, followed by infrastructure modernization at 37%, up from 31%. Business process improvements fell to 35% from 41%, but the need for operational discipline has not diminished. Leaders are recasting process improvement as continuous, technology- and analytics-enabled margin management that builds on the platforms they are already funding.

What long‑term challenges are expected to shape healthcare strategy over the next decade?

Talent challenges are the top long-term concern for healthcare leaders at 48%, up from 33%, followed by security and privacy at 46% and AI deployments at 39%. Leaders view workforce scarcity as a structural challenge rather than a cyclical labor issue, driven by nursing and physician supply, aging workforces, rural access gaps and competition for data and technical talent. AI concerns fell from 49%, suggesting leaders see AI as a manageable challenge while workforce scarcity is not.