The report lays out "the current and envisioned state of Federal IT, and it provides specific recommendations to jumpstart a new wave of modernization efforts."

The memo encourages agencies to coordinate among themselves and invest largely in early-stage research — leaving later stage investment for the private sector.

Standardizing federal award data and reporting requirements is an important step in reducing the size of the government, the report states.

With agencies looking fervently for any efficiency they can find in their reform plans, the benefits of shared services have become quite sought after.

The log of federal spending will help agencies make a "cogent business case" for modernization funds, Margie Graves said.

The Obama administration's IT leaders focused heavily on trying to get agencies to move to the cloud, leverage shared services and above all, retire legacy systems. And so far, all signs point to the Trump administration continuing in a similar vein.