Titled Closing the Readiness Gap, the report identifies the ten most consequential risks facing organizations in 2027 and highlights a growing challenge: while organisations have more information about emerging threats than ever before, many remain unprepared to translate that intelligence into timely, coordinated action.

Drawing on Everbridge risk intelligence, authoritative industry research, and findings from the company’s 2026 Best in Resilience Study, the outlook highlights several concerning findings:

• 50% of organisations have limited or no formal critical event management strategy, raising questions about their ability to coordinate an effective response when disruption occurs.

• 77% of leadership teams were caught off guard by a geopolitical development at least once in the past year, underscoring the challenges of anticipating and preparing for rapidly evolving global events.

• 24% of organisations never test their business continuity plans, leaving critical response procedures unproven.

• 29 minutes is the average breakout time for AI-enabled cyberattacks, illustrating how quickly threats can escalate and compress the window for effective response.
  

Businesses need to be ready for action

Together, these findings underscore the report’s central conclusion: the greatest challenge for organisations in 2027 is not simply understanding the risks they face but closing the gap between awareness and action.

“The defining challenge for organisations in 2027 isn’t simply identifying the risks ahead. It’s being ready to act when those risks become reality,” said Dave Wagner, Chief Executive Officer of Everbridge. “We’re seeing threats move faster and become more interconnected, yet too many organisations still rely on disconnected processes and plans that haven’t been tested under pressure. That’s why we recently introduced Everbridge 360 AI Advisor, helping organisations turn intelligence into decisions, empower teams to act, and coordinate their response before disruption escalates. That’s what will separate organisations that simply respond to critical events from those that are truly resilient.”

Top 2027 risk rankings

The outlook ranks cyberattacks and systemic cyber risk as the leading global threat for 2027, followed by geopolitical conflict and geoeconomic confrontation, and natural disasters and climate-driven extremes. The report also examines emerging challenges involving artificial intelligence, supply-chain disruption, misinformation, and other risks that increasingly intersect and amplify one another.

A central theme is that threats rarely occur in isolation. A cyberattack can disrupt critical services while misinformation complicates response efforts. Geopolitical conflict can trigger supply-chain interruptions, regulatory changes, and workforce safety concerns across multiple regions. Severe weather can simultaneously threaten infrastructure, employees, and essential operations.

Closing the readiness gap

Beyond identifying the most pressing threats, the report examines the operational barriers that prevent organisations from responding effectively, including unclear decision-making authority, fragmented risk intelligence, and delays in activating response plans.

The outlook outlines practical steps organisations can take to strengthen preparedness, improve coordination, and accelerate decision-making. It also includes real-world examples, compound-risk scenarios, executive-level considerations, and a 90-day roadmap to help leaders turn resilience strategies into measurable action.

Everbridge will be hosting a webinar next week to discuss the report’s key findings and share best practices for navigating the evolving global risk landscape.