Being part of the support team means that the testers are closer to the customer perspective, which is an advantage for testing, as they can better understand the user needs and expectations, and identify more realistic scenarios and risks. However, being part of the support team also means that they have less independence in deciding what and how to test, as they may be influenced by the customer's preferences or requests, which could compromise the objectivity and effectiveness of testing. Verified Reference: A Study Guide to the ISTQB Foundation Level 2018 Syllabus - Springer, page 6.