Enterprise Architecture in 2026: From a Vision to Resilient Operations – Deloitte

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If you are planning major initiatives in the next 1–3 years, the study offers a clear roadmap:

Start with clarity. Where does your organisation sit on the maturity curve for ERP, data and AI governance? What is your current state, and what does your target state look like?

Sequence ruthlessly. Not everything can happen at once. The highest-performing organisations we studied are those that sequence investments; simplify first, then scale AI. Establish data governance before deploying AI on a scale. Modernise ERP before attempting to leverage AI capabilities embedded in modern ERP systems.

Partner strategically. Eighty per cent of studied organisations acknowledge that external expertise is non-negotiable. The critical question is not whether to engage external partners, but rather how to structure and optimise those partnerships for maximum value creation, conducted in a way that builds internal capability, not dependency. The best outcomes come from partnerships that combine external expertise with internal ownership and governance.

Measure what matters. The organisations making progress are those that move beyond technology metrics (systems deployed, lines of code, infrastructure costs), moving onto business metrics: risk reduction, cost optimisation, speed to market, customer satisfaction, employee engagement.
Learn more about the main technological trends and transformation challenges of enterprise architecture systems.
Enterprise architecture does not often make headlines. But it should. Over the past months, we talked to enterprise architects, CIOs and technology leaders across Europe – the companies they represent ranging from financial services to Government, Energy to Consumer – to understand how they are navigating one of the most complex transformation periods in IT history.
What emerged in the Enterprise Architecture study was not a surprise. It was a validation of what works and a clear signal about where the real leverage points are.

“We’ve had the privilege of working directly with the architects who are in the trenches. These were not theoretical discussions as we talked to practitioners who’ve lived through failed modernisations, budget constraints and the pressure to deliver faster. Their insights are gold” Ville Laitinen, Manager at Deloitte says.

The study, conducted across 14 European countries, reveals a landscape where transformation is no longer optional. It is about getting and staying change ready. The path forward is clearer than many organisations realise.
What proved least surprising, yet most consequential, was that ERP transformation sits at the core of every major initiative. Seventy-two per cent of the studies organisations have listed application modernisation or ERP transformation as a top priority. But therein lies the fundamental issue and where most organisations stumble. Companies have experience of complex, multi-system ERP setups. They have learned, often painfully, that complexity does not equal capability. The organisations winning today are those simplifying their ERP landscapes while maintaining business agility.

The data tells a consistent story across sectors. Organisations that have moved to modern, streamlined ERP architectures – whether SAP S/4HANA, or Microsoft Dynamics – are outpacing their peers. But the journey is not about rip and replace. It’s about sequenced, phased simplification,” Timo Salo, Senior Specialist Lead at Deloitte Nordic, explains.
This is where real value emerges. Rather than treating ERP as a technology project, leading organisations are treating it as a business transformation lever – one that simultaneously addresses
The implication for organisations planning major initiatives in the next 1–3 years is clear: ERP transformation is not a checkbox. It is the foundation. Getting it right, with the right partner who understands both the technical and business dimensions, determines whether your other transformation bets (AI, data, cloud bets) succeed or stall.
Here is a statistic that deserves attention: 42% of the studied companies are already using ERP AI capabilities. This figure reflects not experimental deployment but established mainstream practice. It signals something critical: the AI race is now an efficiency competition.
However, the study reveals the core challenge. While AI adoption is accelerating, governance is lagging. Organisations are deploying AI in pockets, in ERP systems, in analytics, in customer-facing applications, but without the centralised governance, risk frameworks and lifecycle management that are needed to scale.
“AI and GenAI are moving centre stage, but they must be industrialised and governed. With the highest priority overall, AI and GenAI are expected to change how decisions, interactions and operations work, but only if governance, risk, compliance and life cycle are addressed,” Laitinen says.

The survey data backs this up:
Organisations that move first on AI governance – establishing clear ownership, risk frameworks and life cycle management – will pull ahead. Those that continue deploying AI in isolated projects will face escalating technical debt, compliance risk and wasted investment.
If ERP is the backbone and AI is the competitive edge, data is the nervous system.It can be argued that, in most organisations, the data is broken.
“Data Management is a Top 3 priority because AI, reporting, compliance, CX optimisation all depend on reliable, shared and governed data across functions and entities. Yet most organisations are still managing data in silos,” Salo notes.
The study shows the following:
The mandate is explicit: data governance admits no deferral. Organisations that treat data governance as supplementary to AI and modernisation initiatives will be fundamentally unable to

The organisations we spoke with understand this. They are not treating data as a separate workstream. They are embracing data as the connective tissue embedding data governance into every transformation initiative: ERP, AI, cloud and modernisation initiatives.
What unites these three elements is a critical reality: transformation has transitioned from being discretionary to being mandatory. The imperative is to ensure the organisation remains positioned to respond to dynamic business demands. This does not refer to "modernisation for modernisation’s sake" programmes, but how organisations stay resilient in the face of:

The organisations that will thrive in the next three years are those that:

 
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