The Anand Mahindra-led Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) today said it has inked an strategic

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alliance with global networking company Cisco to provide a host of services, including cloud computing, entertainment, smart cities, virtual dealerships and sports.

The joint venture intends to collaborate on a global platform and has a target market of %5 billion in five years.

"I am absolutely delighted that the first project under this initiative is intended to be the Mahindra Innovation Park, which will create new benchmarks through its smart solutions," M&M Vice-Chairman Anand Mahindra told reporters here.

"This is a partnership not just of one contract but involving many contracts between Mahindra and Cisco, not just in India but across the world," he said.

"Initially, we have invested Rs 10 crore in the global partnership and will continue to invest in the coming days," Mahindra said.

With this JV, M&M and Cisco will focus on the Internet. Cisco's Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG) and Mahindra have initiated collaboration on a pioneering virtual sales experience as a complementary channel to Mahindra dealerships.

The innovative sales experience will aim to expand M&M's customer touch-points, enhance brand visibility and provide customers with a superior experience.

Cisco and Mahindra will explore opportunities to collaborate on comprehensive differentiated offerings in the sports and entertainment market to provide a range of industry-specific offerings.

These include the Cisco connected stadium platform and the StadiumVision solution using the network as a platform, with additive elements for access control, wireless, smart-card ticketing and loyalty programmes, points of sale and hospitality.

Cisco and Mahindra will explore opportunities to develop cloud-based solutions and services and sports and entertainment as a service in a private-public-hybrid cloud in both build-operate-transfer and managed services models.

Both companies will explore working together to build the private cloud road-map for the Mahindra Group across different businesses of Mahindra & Mahindra, Tech Mahindra and Mahindra Satyam.

"Both companies are able to harness innovation in providing services to their customers. I believe Cisco does truly understand that India can be a game changer in leveraging innovation," Mahindra said.

"The collaboration with the Mahindra Group will be a game-changing one and I really look forward to working closely with M&M to transform cities and communities and to innovate new ways of offering services, using network as the platform," Cisco Executive VP (Emerging Solutions) & Chief Globalisation Officer Wim Elfrink said.