Take a look at six keys that can help agencies reap the most benefit from joining forces.

With the IT Infrastructure Optimization Initiative, OMB strives to fine-tune a systems approach for needs that cross agency boundaries.

OMB has created the Information Systems Security Line of Business to expedite partnering on common solutions.

Adjust your work plans to keep a steady hand as your agency's LOB responsibilities increase.

Agencies rely on one of three HSPD-12 approaches to meet difficult compliance requirements.

With Congress switching sides, make sure your IT team is ready, willing and able to keep projects on track.

Converting to a shared-services center for financial management? Don't get lost in a desert of missed consolidation opportunities, poor investment decisions and shortsighted migration strategies.

That's the next part of the project management life cycle where OMB needs to create best practices.

Since their inception in 2002, the President's Electronic Government initiatives have focused on improving services to citizens and businesses, increasing government effectiveness, and reducing costs to taxpayers and agencies alike.

With a Justice-DHS exchange effort as the vanguard, a new Data Reference Model to populate and XML schemas to try out, agencies have the components to make governmentwide data sharing a reality.

Ready or not, agencies have begun migrating financial processing to shared-services centers in the coming year as part of OMB's Lines of Business consolidation.