Note that Atos continues to use email for outward (ex. customer-facing) business. Its just internal to Atos that they're opting out of email as a communication tool. I can buy that, it may be worth a try there. They are essentially a European company, so they can IM and communicate with co-workers in nearly the same time zones without alot of cost from removing the email tool. And I have to believe that for asynchronous situations (ex. 5 week European vacation schedules) there could still be some emails in the cards for Atos workers. But in alot of cases, you have other options - wikis or sharepoints for example. Also, sometimes you want data retention, and sometimes you don't. I work in a heavily litigious environment, I can't even remember the last time my work email wasn't on indefinite data retention for a regulatory and/or IPR reasons. If EU regulators ever approached Atos execs for their retained communications, it may be better to not have email in the first place; because they can't suddenly require that you use email if they want to put you on data retention (or at least I don't think they can force it on you, even in the EU).

Time has a way of removing technology tools all the time. We could approach a period when fewer and fewer folks are accessible via email addresses, but can be reached by near instant IM, Skype or Lync type messaging platforms that track our location and status more directly than traditional email. I already get alot of phone calls first thing in the AM when I log onto my email and my Lync shows me as Available, co-workers in different time zones will use that as a sign I can be contacted, and either call me on my laptop (which receives my work phone calls automatically) or IM me. They don't know I'm sitting in my underwear just sipping my first cup of coffee...

I remember the days before email, and I look forward to the days without it again someday. And hopefully I'll be able to log off of all the instantaneous communications 'options' as well, and just be blessedly offline.