This approach may mean big changes to the DOD's back end, such as less reliance on legacy, customized systems and consolidation in favor of standardization.

"We are not going to be able to move, in any way, into a cloud environment if we do not move to a more standardized environment," Takai said at a forum Thursday sponsored by market research firm Input.

Takai, who spoke to an audience of largely government contractors, has . She spent 30 years at Ford Motor Co. in strategy setting roles, before moving to the public sector, most recently as California's CIO.

Takai, who was appointed the Defense Department's CIO last year, oversees an IT budget of nearly $33 billion. The overall defense budget is about $708 billion.

A key priority for Takai will be adoption of mobile technologies. The military has long relied on specially built devices for its communication needs. But there is also growing demand in the department to use consumer mobile technologies, such as the , , , Blackberries, and other devices.