It allows work outside the office. When it doesn t work or you can t work it, it disables you in all ways. A good IT department can implement solutions which give the facilities, but simplify the access. Technology to free people from the tyranny of technology. A single mailbox that has all your messages email, voicemail, fax accessible from anywhere using any access technology.
Paper is heavy.
If you have very much of it in your briefcase, then you know it. And, of course, the piece you want is always somewhere else. In comes the fax. This seems to me to be an unrealistic goal at present. We use paper for things that are difficult or we would not want to do on the screen.