You can configure Portal to send email on your behalf, and Webhook functionality has been introduced. However, configuring webhooks can be highly technical and hard to create based on differences in architecture. I think my main use case for Webhooks is common enough to warrant adding as a function in Portal.
I have a referenced feature class that field staff use to collect data on new assets and errors in existing features. I have worked to build a webhook workflow that will notify me when new features are created. My idea is that this functionality should be easier and configurable within the Portal GUI.