Cisco and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) have joined forces to provide data center services.

Under the deal, TCS will build a new technology practice focused on Cisco's industry-leading data center networking and security solutions. The companies also announced the formation of a Cisco Technology Lab at the TCS campus in Chennai, India.

John Chambers, chairman and CEO for Cisco, and Mr. S. Ramadorai, chief executive officer and managing director for TCS made the announcement.

As part of the new practice, TCS will incorporate Cisco's Data Centre 3.0 technologies, with TCS' IT services, business solutions and outsourcing.

"Customers are demanding greater dynamism from their IT infrastructure and application environment to address current challenges and to capitalize on opportunities whenever and wherever they emerge," said Mr. N Chandrasekaran, chief operating officer and executive director of TCS.

The alliance will initially focus on India as well as mutual enterprise customers in the United States and the United Kingdom in banking and finance services, telecom, and government as well as small and medium-sized business.

Separately Cisco CEO John Chambers wrote a column in the Wall Street Journal in which he described the current economic downturn as the chance of a lifetime to restructure IT architectures and drive energy efficiency through IT.