Tumbleweed launches Desktop Messenger to protect sensitive internal communications

Tumbleweed's MailGate Desktop Messenger adds critical desktop-to-desktop encryption to its comprehensive suite of email security and encryption products

Redwood City, Calif., February 6, 2007 – Tumbleweed Communications Corp. (Nasdaq: TMWD), the industry's leading pure play messaging security vendor, today announced the addition of the MailGate® Desktop Messenger to its product line, allowing for streamlined desktop-to-desktop encryption for internal corporate users. With the addition of Desktop Messenger, Tumbleweed extends its extensive line of secure messaging solutions to provide robust, easy-to-use encryption technology for sensitive internal emails.

Desktop Messenger integrates with email clients, such as Outlook, to provide “push button” desktop-to-desktop encryption.  To encrypt important messages, end users must only press a “Send Secure” button installed in Outlook to activate encryption on the intended message.  For messages to be sent externally, Desktop Messenger works in conjunction with Tumbleweed’s leading Secure Messenger encryption technology at the network gateway to provide comprehensive multi-layered encryption for messages leaving the enterprise.

“Increasingly there has been concern that sensitive corporate information may be exposed or at risk via internal sources, but existing encryption solutions have been too difficult to manage and lacked integration with enterprise infrastructure,” says Taher Elgamal, chief technology officer at Tumbleweed.  “With Desktop Messenger, we have extended our long-standing encryption expertise to the desktop to provide a seamless way to send secure messages, both within and outside organizations.”

Tumbleweed has developed Desktop Messenger to be both convenient for end users, and also easy to deploy, by automating the previously complicated processes of enrolling users and deploying and handling digital certificates, two common difficulties with encryption.  With the automation of these processes, recipients who receive a secure, encrypted message can view it immediately, even without the Desktop Messenger client software installed, via Secure Messenger or quickly download the Desktop Messenger for future automated secure messaging.

Desktop Messenger and Secure Messenger secure email communications by utilizing policy based management technology to inspect all internal and outbound emails and attachments.  MailGate’s policies can automatically identify IT violations set by the organization based on the content of the email and redirects suspect messages to a secure and encrypted channel.  With MailGate Desktop Messenger and Secure Messenger, Tumbleweed ensures total data protection for both internal and external messages without placing the burden of security decisions upon individuals. 

Tumbleweed plans to make Desktop Messenger available in March 2007.

About the Tumbleweed MailGate Product Suite
The Tumbleweed MailGate Product Suite is a family of products for protecting, filtering and monitoring corporate email, blocking more than 99 percent of inbound spam.  These best-in-breed products enable businesses to manage inbound and outbound traffic, block threats, encrypt messages and optimize network performance.  MailGate products include MailGate Appliance™, MailGate Email Firewall™ software and MailGate Secure Messenger™ software, each optimized for specific environments and security challenges.

  • MailGate Appliance: A powerful and easy-to-deploy hardened Linux appliance, providing integrated network edge defense, anti-spam, anti-virus, content filtering, policy management, and outbound encryption.
  • MailGate Email Firewall:A comprehensive email security software offering, with functionality ranging from inbound threat prevention to outbound content filtering, monitoring and encryption.
  • MailGate Secure Messenger: A policy-based, secure message delivery solution that inspects incoming and outgoing mail and dynamically applies user-defined encryption and routing preferences.

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT
Tumbleweed cautions that forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on current plans and expectations as of the date of this 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 functionality, performance and predicted availability of MailGate Desktop Messenger.  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 16, 2006 and Form 10-Q filed November 9, 2006.

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
Tumbleweed Communications (NASDAQ:TMWD), the industry’s leading pure play messaging security vendor, provides world-class innovative messaging security solutions for organizations of all sizes.  Organizations rely on Tumbleweed's solutions to securely manage their Internet communications, spanning email management to file transfers. Tumbleweed has more than 2,300 customers worldwide, representing industries such as Finance, Healthcare, 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 thirteen years of R&D and 25 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, the Arrows logo, MailGate, MailGate Appliance, MailGate Email Firewall, MailGate Secure Messenger, SecureTransport and Validation Authority 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.

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