Agencies with a record of success in creating information sharing policies rely on strong leadership to get the ball rolling. But as time passes and the practices become familiar, they'll be easier to maintain, said Jeremy Warren, chief technology officer at the Justice Department.

Speaking on a panel at the FOSE trade show today, Warren credited Vance Hitch, the department's chief information officer, for Justice's role in creating the National Information Exchange Model, a joint project with the Homeland Security Department. Hitch's relative longevity in the CIO role and the respect he's earned over the years have contributed a lot, Warren said

"Institutionalizing it will eventually become a way to address that, when it just becomes the way you do business, what's expected," Warren said. "But it's hard to get there."

Another tip for success is to turn strategies into concrete action, said Clark Smith, director of the technology division of the Office of the Program Manager, Information Sharing Environment in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

"That's your job," he said. "That's a key element of being successful."