Sales of security server appliances grew 10 percent in the second quarter, as sales of low-end appliance servers dedicated to firewalls and virtual private networks helped bolster the industry, according to an IDC report released on Thursday.

The double-digit, year-over-year second-quarter growth is in contrast to the roughly 5 percent decline in the first quarter, as companies look to beef up their security in light of the recent spate of worms and viruses.

"As worms keep popping up, that leads to a desire for increased security," said Charles Kolodgy, research director for IDC's security-products service. "And the easiest way to set up a network is with security server appliances. We're seeing people buy low-end firewall and VPN appliances."

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