Thus, stand-alone fax machines should remain prevalent throughout the '90s. E-mail has virtually sealed the fate of the traditional corporate memo. By allowing messages to be sent electronically from one computer to another, it combines the immediacy of fax with the cost efficiency of a conversation. Usage of e-mail is growing tremendously. In 1993, nearly 36 million workers had access to e-mail networks, about twice as many as two years earlier.
All signs point to e-mail becoming even more pervasive in coming years.
As access to the Internet and other common carrier networks becomes more prevalent, e-mail will become a standard way of communicating between companies as well, displacing even more fax traffic. For starters, it's so convenient that it tends to increase the volume of communication. What's more, recipients often print hard copy versions of their electronic mail for storage or distribution. Multifunction devices reduce the number of machines in the workplace. Paper-generating office functions now have been combined into one machine, such as a printer and fax or a printer and copier.