Global IT services company IBM has bagged a 3.8 million dollar deal spread over five years from Japanese major Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) to support its global financial system in which IBM’s India support centres will play a major role.

The agreement, signed in Q1 of 2007, expands on a 4.3 million dollar contract of last year between the two firms. IBM will provide operations and support services, both on site at SPE’s headquarters and remotely from the IBM support centres in India, an IBM release said here.

IBM global business services will provide application management services for SPE’s SAP Global Financial Applications, leveraging IBM’s India-based global delivery capabilities.

The agreement, which includes application, system development and security support responsibilities, will allow SPE’s own it staff to focus on other high-priority new projects and improvement initiatives.

“IBM offers us a low-cost and high quality support model for the global SAP skills that we require,” Sony Pictures Entertainment chief financial officer David Hendler said.