The organization also found that 53 percent of executives and managers spend up to four hours weekly on the Internet, with 25 percent expecting their use to jump to 10 hours or more per week within two years. E-mail has proven to be essential, used to interact with customers, clients and employees. Hotmail, a subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation that provides free E-mail, noted that on several days in May, it signed up over 100,000 new subscribers. Like other businesses, law firms that have embraced the Internet use it for communications, research and promotion. And E-mail, with its speed and efficiency, has become an important extension of communications.
Many users start their morning by checking their internal and external E-mail.
Throughout the day, their computer notifies them of mail from an important client or co-worker. The great advantage of E-mail is its flexibility. Messages can be short and to the point, or they can contain complete documents for review. E-mail generally travels to its destination in seconds, but can be read at the recipient's convenience. Adding a password or using encryption technology can make document transfer secure.