Research and document all viable profile storage options for AVD on Azure Local

[kristopherjturner]

Feature Request

The AVD repo currently only documents SOFS as the FSLogix profile storage solution. But AVD on Azure Local can use multiple profile storage options. We need to research, document, and provide guidance on all viable alternatives.

Research Required

1. Identify All Viable Profile Storage Options for Azure Local

Option	Type	Description	Needs Research
SOFS on Azure Local	On-premises	Guest cluster with S2D + SMB shares (companion repo)	✅ Already documented
FSLogix Cloud Cache	Hybrid	Writes profiles directly to cloud providers (Azure Blob, Azure Files) without local file server	❓ Needs research
Azure Files (SMB)	Cloud	Azure-managed SMB share accessed via ExpressRoute/VPN	❓ Needs research
Azure NetApp Files	Cloud	Enterprise NAS via ExpressRoute/VPN	❓ Needs research
Native Azure Local SOFS	On-premises	Azure Local's built-in SOFS (not guest VMs)	❓ Needs research
Third-party NAS	On-premises	NetApp, Pure, Dell, etc. on-premises storage with SMB	❓ Needs research

2. For Each Option, Document

• Compatibility with Azure Local — Does it actually work? Any known limitations?
• Architecture — How does it connect to session hosts on Azure Local?
• Performance characteristics — Latency, throughput, IOPS for logon storms
• Pros and cons — Cost, complexity, HA, DR, management overhead
• When to use — Decision criteria (user count, latency requirements, DR needs, budget)
• Configuration — FSLogix registry settings, share paths, auth requirements
• Prerequisites — Networking (ER/VPN), DNS, permissions

3. Decision Matrix

Create a decision matrix to help customers choose:

                        SOFS    Cloud Cache    Azure Files    NetApp Files
On-prem latency         ✅         ⚠️             ❌              ❌
No cloud dependency     ✅         ❌             ❌              ❌
Built-in DR             ❌         ✅             ✅              ✅
Simplest to deploy      ❌         ✅             ✅              ❌
Scales beyond cluster   ❌         ✅             ✅              ✅

Acceptance Criteria

• Research which profile storage solutions actually work with Azure Local AVD
• Document pros/cons/architecture for each viable option
• Create a decision matrix for customer guidance
• Add a new guide to AVD docs (e.g., docs/guides/profile-storage-options.md)
• Update FSLogix guide to reference alternatives (not just SOFS)
• Update scenarios doc to include alternative storage patterns
• Add configuration examples for each option (at minimum Cloud Cache and Azure Files)

Affected Repos

• azurelocal-avd — new documentation, updated FSLogix guide, updated scenarios