1. An operator panel having at least one processor for executing one or more applications for operating at least one production system, including: a configuration data memory configured to store configuration data that are provided for configuring the one or more applications of the operator panel; a synchronization module configured to: access configuration data stored in the configuration data memory, synchronize the configuration data via a communications interface of the operator panel with remote configuration data that are stored in a configuration data memory of a remotely disposed operator panel, the remote configuration data being provided for configuring one or more applications of the remotely disposed operator panel, and during synchronization of the configuration data with the remote configuration data, identify differences between the configuration data and the remote configuration data based, at least in part, on a comparison between the configuration data and the remote configuration data; update and store at least one of the configuration data or the remote configuration data based, at least in part, on the identified differences, resulting in stored configuration data; and enable that synchronization of configuration data for configuring the one or more applications includes transmitting, from the operator panel, locally changed configuration data to the remotely disposed operator panel and receiving in the operator panel remotely changed configuration data from the remotely disposed operator panel; and, a configuration access module configured to receive from at least one application of the operator panel a read request for stored configuration data, to access stored configuration data, and to read the stored configuration data corresponding to the read request and to deliver the read configuration data for configuring the at least one application to the at least one application.