Cloud computing, for example, could represent a paradigm shift in the way federal agencies pay for IT infrastructure, he said. But Tseronis said he hopes agencies will work together on projects, not set up their own little cloud "enclaves." Sharing of services should be a major goal, he said.

"We're spending a lot of money, and that's no news to anybody," he said. "How are we going to say in four, five ... years from now, 'Wow, look at how our budget went down?'"