1. A method comprising: at a caching network of a hosting and storage system that comprises a plurality of nodes for hosting virtual machines for users, receiving a request for an image of a particular computer system configuration for deployment as a virtual machine on a particular node of the hosting system; determining whether the requested image is presently stored on the caching network; when the image is present on the caching network, streaming the image to the particular node of the hosting system for deployment as a virtual machine on the particular node; and when the image is not presently stored on the caching network, retrieving a copy of the image from a permanent storage network and then streaming the image to the particular node of the hosting system for deployment as a virtual machine on the particular node.