Mahindra Group inks strategic alliance with Cisco Systems

The JV intends to collaborate on a global platform and provide services in areas including smart cities, virtual dealerships, sports and entertainment and cloud services. The JV has a target market at USD 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. 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," Mahindra & Mahindra's Vice-Chairman, Anand Mahindra, told reporters here.

"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 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.