Which type of storage typically assists in higher performance for virtual machines?

The correct choice for achieving higher performance for virtual machines is SSD Storage. Solid State Drives (SSDs) offer significantly faster read and write speeds compared to traditional physical hard drives. This speed advantage is critical for virtual machines, as they require quick access to data and the ability to manage multiple I/O operations simultaneously.

When virtual machines are hosted on SSDs, the result is improved boot times, enhanced application performance, and better overall responsiveness. This performance boost is especially important in environments where multiple virtual machines are running concurrently, as faster storage can help avoid bottlenecks that could degrade the performance of critical applications.

In contrast, thick provisioning, while it efficiently allocates storage space in advance, does not directly influence the speed of data access. Cloud storage, depending on its configuration, may not provide the same immediate access speeds as local SSDs, especially if latency issues arise from network access. Physical hard drives, being mechanical devices, are inherently slower, which can adversely affect the performance of virtual machines when compared to SSD storage.