Ontario Ministry of Health Implements Tumbleweed to Secure Transfer of Patient Data

Tumbleweed® Communications Corp. (NASDAQ:TMWD), an industry leader in managed file transfer and content security, today announced that the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care has selected Tumbleweed’s SecureTransport™ to ensure the secure transfer of electronic medical records and to eliminate the risk of accidental loss of personal health data. The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care administers the health care system in Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, including managing the transfer of Canadians’ personal health and billing records as they are transferred between the provincial ministries of health and private hospitals and doctors. This sensitive data is subject to the Canadian privacy mandates PIPEDA and PHIPA. However, given the Ministry of Health’s flawless record protecting patient data, they were uncomfortable with the inherent risks involved with the two primary methods they had been using to transfer data: file transfer protocol (FTP), an aging technology for sending large files over the internet that does not guarantee security or provide an audit trail and courier services for physically shipping data on tapes, making the loss of physical tapes a possibility. These risks compelled them to begin a search for the most secure and sophisticated technology for transferring sensitive patient information. The ministry needed a system that would provide a granular audit trail to track files, provide strong security to mitigate data transfer vulnerabilities, comply with Canadian privacy mandates, and flexibly support various operating systems. After testing competing managed file transfer systems, the Ministry of Health decided on SecureTransport as the best solution for its needs. Not only was SecureTransport tremendously secure but it enabled streamlined compliance with privacy mandates and offered a granular audit trail, allowing unparalleled visibility and monitoring of transfers, essentially making it possible to "file and forget.” Additionally, SecureTransport supported a broad array of operating systems and security certificates, so all provincial ministries, hospitals and doctors could easily exchange electronic health records. What is more, SecureTransport has proven to be simple to deploy, use and manage. "The ministry takes its responsibility to protect patient data very seriously and will go to any length to keep it safe,” said Dave Wilkins, security architect for the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. "Tumbleweed enables the Ministry to securely transfer personal health information while ensuring compliance to set a new standard for securely sending files.” With SecureTransport in place, the Ontario Ministry of Health now has granular control over the security and management of data transfers while having mitigated the vulnerabilities associated with previous approaches like basic FTP or courier services. SecureTransport has also significantly reduced service desk calls related to file transfer, freeing up staff previously charged with overseeing and analyzing data transfers and sending tapes to focus on much more strategic projects. Moreover, SecureTransport will pay for itself in a year in courier savings alone. SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT Tumbleweed cautions that forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on plans and expectations as of the date of the press release, and that a number of factors could cause the actual results to differ materially from the guidance given at this time. These factors are described in the Safe Harbor statement below. Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, particularly with respect to the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care’s continued use of SecureTransport, as well as the specific functionality of SecureTransport. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may,” "will,” "should,” "potential,” "continue,” "expects,” "anticipates,” "intends,” "plans,” "believes,” "estimates,” and similar expressions. For further cautions about the risks of investing in Tumbleweed, we refer you to the documents Tumbleweed files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly Tumbleweed’s Form 10-K filed March 14, 2007 and Form 10-Q filed November 9, 2007. Tumbleweed assumes no obligation to update information contained in this press release. Although this release may remain available on Tumbleweed’s website or elsewhere, its continued availability does not indicate that Tumbleweed is reaffirming or confirming any of the information contained herein. About Tumbleweed Communications Corp. Tumbleweed Communications Corp. (NASDAQ:TMWD), an industry leader in managed file transfer and content security, provides enterprise-class solutions to organizations of all sizes. Tumbleweed’s innovative products enable organizations to effectively manage and protect business-critical Internet communications, with capabilities that span secure file transfer, encryption, data loss prevention, and email security. Tumbleweed has more than 3,000 customers worldwide, including blue-chip companies across an array of industries such as Technology, Retail, Finance, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Consumer Packaged Goods, Telecom, Energy, and the U.S. Government. The world’s most security conscious organizations rely upon Tumbleweed technology including Bank of America Securities, JP Morgan Chase & Co., the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the U.S. Department of Defense. Our award-winning products build on 14 years of R&D and 27 security patents in the U.S. alone – many of which are licensed by other security vendors. More information can be found at www.tumbleweed.com. Tumbleweed and SecureTransport are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Tumbleweed Communications Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.