They are the central nervous system of any successful solution provider business - the critical software tools that partners use to run their own business and in turn manage their clients' business more effectively.

For solution providers, these software tools - from remote management platforms such as Continuum to back-office service platforms such as ConnectWise to an emerging cloud offering called Cloudability - can mean the difference between success and failure.

Here then is CRN's list of 50 breakthrough tools - software platforms, applications and cloud services - that partners can use to run their own business and more effectively manage their customers' business.