The Anand Mahindra-led Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) on Tuesday said it has inked a strategic 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 Mr 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,” Mr 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.

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