What are the benefits of using Streamed VHD?

While Streamed VHD retains single image management, allowing users to install applications directly is generally not a feature, as it would break the golden image integrity and centralized control.

Streamed VHDs are typically read-only 'golden images' streamed from a central server, which inherently provides a high level of security by ensuring that each user session starts with a pristine, uncompromised operating system. User customization is usually achieved by layering a separate writable disk, such as a User Profile Disk (UPD) or a personal virtual disk, on top of the streamed VHD, allowing for persistent user data and application settings without modifying the base image.

Streamed VHD environments, especially during boot storms, often place significant demands on storage I/O performance, making low storage performance a challenge rather than an inherent benefit.

Streamed VHD primarily focuses on OS delivery and management, not directly on low-cost or high application compatibility, which is more characteristic of application virtualization technologies like App-V.